What's your spring refresh? Try this...

Mine is a renewed perspective.

It’s finally Spring, and I’m coming up for air after writing the bulk of my book, From Stuck to Scale. For me, 2024 is a year for a brand refresh to reflect the theme that runs through all of the tools and spotlight stories in the book.

In the spirit of the season, these communications from me will be renamed “Try this…” to inspire action and give you different ways to think about problems or areas where you may be STUCK.

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The Original "Try This" Inspiration

As we start this launch, there are many people to thank, but I’ll start with the person who taught me the “Try This” basics years ago.

My dad, Phil.

My dad did something radical for his era. After years of being a professional psychiatrist focused on helping people through troubles holding them back, he decided to bring his skills forward in a more public way—a radio talk show. I was a child at the time, and when I heard my dad would be on the radio with a talk show, I pictured “Dr. Phil, The Expert” on stage, spouting his wisdom and solving problems in a public arena.

I was surprised and a little disappointed when I listened to his talk show for the first

Here was the format: someone from the studio audience presented a challenge or a struggle. Something that kept them from living their best lives, doing their best work, or feeling 100% fulfilled.

Phil, an expert with twenty years of training and experience, sat at the front of the studio and invited two members of the audience to join him. Then, this ad hoc panel tackled the obstacle at hand. They combined Phil’s clinical insight with the panel’s practical wisdom and always ended with suggestions of one thing the person might try to break through their struggle.

Trying one new thing turned out to be a game-changer for the people on the show. After years of Do-It-Yourself Psychiatry, the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Some people even said it was life-changing. Discovering one approach they might not have thought of; uncovering a strategy that had worked for someone else, or systematically expanding their view of how to approach a situation that seemed like a dead end.

When you’ve hit a dead end, you don’t need a silver bullet or a crystal ball.

You need a fresh list of things to try that are likely to stop your wheels from spinning in place.

You hear things like, “time to pivot.” But, we’re not sure exactly where to pivot to. We’re told to innovate. But, with the huge range of options available, it’s overwhelming to know where to start.

What matters most is to have something new to try when you’re struggling. Something specific and productive that will:

• Open your aperture and present new opportunities.

• Give you tools to tickle your optimism.

• Offer paths and angles that we haven’t tried before.

• Present mindsets and tools that have worked for others.

• Outline specific next steps beyond the usual advice.

By trying something new, with guidance from people with experience, you can learn how to get unstuck. That’s the core of all of the tools and stories in From Stuck To Scale – specific things to try at every stage of bringing an initiative to life.

So as we spring forward into this new season...

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Try this...

• Look outside your industry to understand your customer experiences. • It’s likely that the signs of what’s to come already exist in other formats. • In my paper, The Future of Banking in the Gulf, Preparing for the New Era, and this podcast on the Future of Banking, I explain how cross-industry insights work. • An example to consider: Banking and fintech leaders can learn from mobile apps like STC Pay, rideshare apps like Careem and food delivery apps like Talabat to design customer-friendly financial products.

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­­I hope you like this format. I’d love any feedback or suggestions you have that would be useful to help you get from stuck to scale. As I continue pushing forward with my book (scheduled to launch in the Fall), I’ll share more details and insights from my journey. Until next time!